Method of bleeding slaughtered animals



May 1, 1962 A. w. HUGHES METHOD OF BLEEDING SLAUGHTERED ANIMALS OriginalFiled Sept. 26, 1955 a C; m W 8 L V m A. rh llr & .IA Q\ m w E N ENUnited States Patent Ofifice 3,031,716 Patented May 1, 1962 3,031,716METHOD OF BLEEDING SLAUGHTERED ANIMALS Alvin W. Hughes, 4N194 ChurchRoad, Bensenville, 111.

Original application Sept. 26, 1955, Ser. No. 536,389, now Patent No.2,978,737, dated Apr. 11, 1961. Divided and this application Dec. 21,1959, Ser. No. 861,079

3 Claims. (Cl. 17-45) The present invention relates to slaughter housemethods and equipment and more particularly to a method and apparatusfor bleeding an animal after the voluntary processes of the animal havebeen immobilized by anesthetization, asphyxiation, shock, or stunningimpact.

It is extremely important that the animal be bled prior to being lifted,as an animal lifted while its veins still contain blood may ruptureblood vessels, thus reducing the value of the resulting meat. Thepresent invention provides an animal-lifting shackle connected with anoverhead conveyor for attachment to the animals hoof while he lies inertin a prone position and supported from beneath after having beenimmobilized.

Anesthetizing the animal is a preferred means of immobilizing an animaland is described in my co-pending patent application Serial No. 839,965and Patent 2,978,- 737, issued April 11, 1961. The present applicationis filed as a divisional application pursuant to requirement ofrestriction in co-pending application Serial No. 53 6,3 89, now PatentNo. 2,978,737.

The shackle previously described draws the prone animal in a generallyhorizontal direction along a bleeding rack. The animal is stuck and bledwhile supported by the rack. By the time the conveyor lifts the animalaway from the support of the rack the animal no longer has sufficientblood in his veins to do any damage.

Details of the foregoing structure and incidental apparatus will bedescribed specifically with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan View of slaughter house structure includingimmobilizing means, a bleeding rack, and a shackle conveyor;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational View of the structure of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

There is shown in the drawings, and particularly with reference to FIG.1, a loading ramp leading into an animal metering chamber 11. Thepurpose of such structure is to control the number of animals which canbe passed through the metering chamber 11 and into elevator structure 12for the purpose of being lowered into gas chamber 13, wherein they areanesthetized for immobilization.

After the animals are anesthetized to the proper degree they collapseupon the floor of the elevator. Thereupon the elevator is raised to thedotted line position shown in FIG. 2, wherein the elevator 12 is tippedand the animals are discharged from the elevator 12 over flap 34 downchute 14. Chute 14 delivers the immobilized animal by gravity to theshackling station 15.

Extending outwardly from the shackling station 15 is a bleeding rack 22.This rack is an elongated device which comprises a frame 17. Whiledetails are unimportant, there is desirably a supporting strip 18 onwhich the weight of the immobilized animal 16 is carried during itsprogression longitudinally of the rack. At suitable spacing along thesides are tubular bars 19, 20 and 21 between which the body of theanimal 16 is confined. Beneath the rack 22 there is desirably a bloodcollecting trough 23 which is preferably inclined or has a pitchedbottom 24.

Extending longitudinally along the rack overhead is the generallyhorizontal run 26 of a shackle conveyor 25. Only a portion isillustrated. After passing about a sprocket 27 remote from the shacklingstation 15, the conveyor 25 has a run extending upwardly as shown at 28in FIG. 2.

Depending at intervals from the conveyor are thongs 29 with shackles 31!at their ends. An attendant will engage a shackle 31) with a hoof of animmobilized animal 16 as the latter lies at the shackling station 15.Movement of the conveyor 25 will cause the shackle 30 to pull the animal16 along the rack 22. Immediately, the animal will be stuck by opening ablood vessel in its throat.

As the animal slides along the rack 22 its blood will flow into thetrough 23 and be delivered to a suitable point of collection. Meantime,when the conveyor run 28 lifts the shackle 30 and the animal 16 to whichit is attached, the animal 16 will no longer have the strength toresist, nor will its veins contain blood congestion, and therefore themeat will not be damaged.

An important feature of this invention is to carry the weight of theanimal along the rack until the bleeding has progressed sutficiently farso that no damage will result when the animal is lifted. The animal inprone position is supported from below with or without movement alongthe rack until the bleeding has rendered it incapable of effectiveresistance and the animal is then lifted and suspended from above, headdown, for the completion of bleeding.

I claim:

1. A method of bleeding an animal to be slaughtered, comprising thesteps of immobilizing the animal, supporting the immobilized animal frombeneath, initiating the bleeding of the animal while so supported, andlifting the animal only after sufiicient blood has been withdrawn tominimize damage to the meat.

2. The method recited in claim 1 including the step of advancing theanimal while supported from beneath during the initial bleeding of theanimal and continuing the advance of the animal while transferring itssupport to suspend the animal during final bleeding thereof.

3. A process of slaughtering and bleeding slaughter animals after thevoluntary processes of said animals have been immobilized, whichconsists in supporting and substantially horizontally moving at slowspeed a plurality of said animals, successively sticking said animalsduring their initial movement and continuing the movement of saidanimals for a predetermined time travel adequate for bleeding the stuckanimals sufficiently to preclude damage to the fiesh when the animalsare lifted from said path, and collecting the blood from said animals:as they travel through said path.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS996,799 Schmidt July 4, 1911 1,226,598 Roberts May 15, 1917 2,526,037Murphy Oct. 17, 1950 2,841,817 Murphy July 8, 1958 2,895,164 Murphy July21, 1959

